


Post Betrayal

by Wendino



Series: GTAV Shenans [1]
Category: Grand Theft Auto V
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:15:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22301692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wendino/pseuds/Wendino
Summary: Minor backstory to explain what my gta oc was doing while the crew was seperated.. maybe one day I'll write a proper fic about the actual crew shenans
Series: GTAV Shenans [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1605310





	Post Betrayal

**Author's Note:**

> Minor backstory to explain what my gta oc was doing while the crew was seperated.. maybe one day I'll write a proper fic about the actual crew shenans

Their last heist had been a trainwreck in every sense of the word. After their so-called leader went behind their backs, stole all the money they’d gathered from all the heists, and abandoned them during a standoff with the police, the remaining trio were forced into hiding. They didn’t stay hidden for long, since someone quickly sold them out and every rival gang with a grudge came down on them hard. The trust and friendship in the group was quickly replaced with paranoia and fear, so the trio quietly agreed to go their separate ways. 

Ally went back to her successful CEO position and eventually moved on to a bigger, brighter city. King moved out of the city shortly after the split, and last they’d heard he was still kicking ass as a racer. Wendino had the easiest escape, their choice to always wear a mask, androdgynous clothing, and rarely speak on missions scored them a quick out. One they quickly took advantage of as they cleared out their current safe house. Wendino had sold off most of their properties and more recognizable possessions. Cash in hand and eyes set on turning over a new leaf, they rode off towards their new place. It was a quaint little house in a decent neighborhood up near Vinewood Hills with neighbors who wouldn’t be too nosy or troublesome. It was a start and that's all Wendino, now going by Ace, could ask for. 

With their remaining funds, Ace purchased an old building near Vespucci Beach and renovated it. With a little help and some additional bribing, Ace was able to reopen the place as the semi decent nightclub, Omega. It wasn't much at first, but with some well placed advertising they were able to turn the place from a dump to a popular hangout spot for anyone looking for some fun, music, and booze. As Ace looked over the crowd, bobbing their head to the beat with a smile as the resident dj hyped up the crowd, they wondered what god they’d appeased to provide such good luck. If only that luck had stayed good.

Ace was fairly certain they’d gotten their personality disorder under control, and while they could still hear ‘Wendino’ complaining about how boring civilian life was compared to their crew days, neither side seemed willing to slip into old habits. It wasn’t until some upstart new gang decided to try threatening their nightclub that Ace’s control slipped. Wendino was having none of it, and the half-crazed smirk they gave the punk was almost enough to make them rethink their choices.  
“This is Viper turf now Bitch, and if you don’t want anything to happen to this little set up of yours, I suggest you cough up some money for our protection,” the head punk sneered. Wendino’s smile never faded and they couldn’t help the giggle that escaped them.  
“Protection? From you? HAH! I’ve fought worse than a couple of wannabe hot shots who can’t tell a threat when they’re staring it dead in the eyes.” Wendino stood up, slamming their hands on the table as they did so.  
“I suggest you get your punk asses out of my club before I call your mommies to come pick you up!” Without bothering to wait for the leader’s response, Wendino turned and walked away from the bar. They made it two steps when the first cock of a gun alerted them and Wendino instinctively dove behind a pillar. The bullet grazed their arm and they hissed in pain, pulling five throwing knives out of their boot.  
“For every bullet hole in my walls, I break two of your bones!” They yelled, leaning out just enough to throw one knife deep into the neck of the nearest thug before ducking back into cover as a hail of bullets tore into the pillar where their head just was. With a loud laugh Wendino countered with two more well aimed throws, catching another one in the throat and the third in the eye. Seeing his lackies dropping like flies must’ve spooked the Viper leader because he started scrambling with his two remaining gang members towards the exit, Wendino hot on their heels as a knife buried itself into a wall by the leaders head. The final knife struck home into the back of one of the fleeing trio, and to Wendino’s delight they didn't bother trying to pick him up.  
“Youre fucking dead you psycho bitch, you hear me?! DEAD!” The Viper leader shouted as he burst through the main door to safety. Wendino didnt bother following, stalking toward the downed victim near the door with a sinister yet playful grin.  
“Ooh it’s a shame they abandoned you here. I was never much for torture myself, but I am gonna need you to tell me about your little boys club.” They knelt down in front of the punk and pulled his head back by his hair so Wendino could get a look at his face.  
“You see, I’ve been on the down low for a while, tryin’ to stay on the right side of the law and all that bullshit, but this is seriously gonna blow my cover if word gets out!” The punk looked ready to soul himself as Wendino continued.  
“After all, if word got around that one of Los Santos’ most wanted criminals was still in the city, they’d be on my ass in a heartbeat!” The laughter that followed would forever haunt the punks nightmares.  
“So,” Wendino sing-songed, “If you’d like to keep your life to yourself and make a quick buck out of it, you’ll tell me where your little safe house is, how many people there are, and what your little leader’s name is! Sounds fair right? You get to live, I get my info, we both win!” The punk just whimpered and pleaded for mercy, much to Wendino’s growing annoyance. They slammed the punks face into the ground hard, then lifted his head back up to them. His nose was clearly broken based on the blood and the guy’s pathetic crying. Wendino just tilted their head slightly and stared down at him.  
“I asked you a question kid. Now either answer me and live, or I take that knife out of your spine and shove it down your throat. Capiche?” They were met with more whimpering and sobs and Wendino was starting to get bored. The guy was clearly too afraid to talk and was slowly starting to go delirious from pain and blood loss. If he died, it’d be a lot harder to find any answers about the pests that had moved into the Vespucci area.  
“.... You don’t wanna talk, fine. You’re starting to bore me anyways, so here’s the new deal: I’ll take you to someone to get you fixed up, and once you’re better I’ll leave you alone. All I need is your leader’s name, and you don’t have to give it to me now.” The fearful whimpers were still there but a subtle nod from the punk was all Wendino needed. Letting go of his hair, they pulled out their phone and hit the second number on speed dial before hanging up immediately. Words didn't need to be passed, just a location. 

Ace looked down at the sorry bastard on the floor, and then towards the three other lackies slumped over by the bar. They clicked their tongue in detest.  
‘Poor bastards can’t be much older than I was when I first got dragged into this mess…’ A quick search revealed wallets with IDs confirming Ace’s suspicions, along with some extra cash that they pocketed. Not like they were gonna need it anymore right? Three quick raps on the nearby wall alerted Ace to the doc’s presence.  
“Well well, I thought you’d fallen off the map after the big betrayal. Who’d’ve thought the giggling horror Wendino was still kicking it around our fair city~?”  
“Good to see you too Doc, think you can work a miracle for knife victim four by the door?”  
“And here I was thinking you’d stepped up your decorating skills with a human doormat! What kind of miracle we talking?” Ace handed the Doc a stack of bills, earning a whistle.  
“Ya really need this one alive, huh? Alright I’ll get him fixed up, but i can't move him back to my lab or he’ll suffer more damage.”  
“Well he can’t stay by the door, I’ve gotta fix the rest of this mess up before opening.”  
“Ya gotta couch we can set him on?”  
“Upstairs, VIP lounge. No one’s allowed in except my business partners and they won't question his presence, assuming they notice him at all.”  
“It’s risky but it’ll do.”

After an extended period of slowly and carefully moving the unconscious lacky upstairs, along with a couple quick calls to a clean up crew, the club was back in proper form just in time for the doors to open. Ace chose to focus on working instead of on the Doc and his latest victim. Taking a seat at the upstairs bar, Ace let themselves get lost in the music and the fruity taste of their Malibu Sunset. It was relaxing just watching the people on the floor, chatting with the bartender, and ignoring the outside world for that short while, but all good things must come to an end. With closing time chores done and the club door locking behind them, Ace made their way tiredly up to the Doc to check on his progress.  
“Any news?”  
“He’ll live, probably won't feel much for a while, if ever. Ya didn’t hit anything vital and I reset his nose back into place before it could start healing wrong. He’ll be out for a couple hours and likely won't feel too good when he wakes up. Call me again as soon as he does.”  
“What would I do without you?”  
“Die probably.”  
“You know me so well~ Get some rest Doc, you need it.”  
“Pot meet kettle.”

True to his word the lackey woke up five hours later, completely disoriented and panicked when he couldn’t move or recognize his location. Ace called the Doc immediately as promised, and struggled to help the guy calm down.  
“W-where am I?!”  
“Omega Nightclub, you came with a group of guys calling yourselves the Viper Gang. I'm the nightclub owner and the person who kicked your ass.”  
“Wha-”  
“You’re currently stuck on bed rest due to a deal we made: I help you, you help me. I need your boss’ name and in exchange I cover your medical fees while you recover.”  
“Huh…?”  
“Fucks sake I hope I didn't give you brain damage too… look the Doc will be here soon to help you out alright, so stop looking at me like I’m gonna eat you. Cannibalism is not all it’s cracked up to be, besides you're too scrawny to be a good meal anyway.” The punk just looked more afraid and Ace sighed.  
“Relax kid, I’m joking… can I get you anything? Doc said no alcohol so that's out but i've got a shit ton of soda and stuff.”  
“Um… c-can i get some w-water…”  
“Blech, just plain water? To each their own, I’ll be back up in a sec. I’d say don't move but you can't anyways.” They didn’t wait for a response, stepping out of the room towards the bar and grabbing a fresh glass from under the counter. Filling it up and making their way back into the room, Ace checked their phone with a scowl as it rang. They ignored it and tossed it onto the desk as they passed by for good measure.  
“One water, that’ll be ten dollars,” Ace joked, laughing at the shock and disbelief on the kid’s face.  
“I’m only messin’ with you, lighten up! Here, I put a straw in it for you so you can just sip and I don't have to hold it.”  
“Uh… thank you…?”  
“Oh so someone did teach you manners! Not very well considering you barged into my club and shot it up, but that's fine you can work to pay that off!”  
“Wh-”  
“No thanks needed! Consider this your second chance to get a better start, no need to thank me. That good news aside, you were one of the smart ones who didn’t bring an ID to a stick up so we have no info on you. Doc’s running your prints right now so we can figure out your medical situation-” Ace paused when the kid went pale.  
“Woah you alright? Too much info too fast? Sorry, I tend to ramble. Feel free to tell me to shut up or slow down if need be.”  
“...Why are you doing all this…?” Ace’s expression softened.  
“What's your name, kid?”  
“... Jerome ...”  
“I'm gonna take your word on that Jerome, cuz the truth is I wasn’t much older than you when I got dragged into the gang world. I know that shit messes you up, and more often than not you’re just cannon fodder for some bigger fish. What you saw, no… who you saw yesterday was the result of trauma and psychological bullshit.”  
“Sucks to be you but-”  
“If you finish that sentence I'll neuter you. You’re not different, your just another statistic waiting to happen. Hell you took a knife in the back for a guy who left you behind. That's not leadership you should be following.” The two sat in silence for a moment, before Jerome spoke again.  
“What gang?”  
“Come again?”  
“What gang were you in?” Ace paused for a moment. Their crew had had a lot of names, but there was the one the media gave them…  
“We didn’t really have a name, we were just a crew of four wild individuals looking for some fun and trouble. The media called us The Audience Crew though, if that rings any bells.” By the clear expression of awe, Ace had to guess that he did know that name.  
“No way! I used to hear stories about you guys all the time!! You guys were huge names in crime despite only being around for a couple months!”  
“Yeaaa that was us, causing trouble and making a name for ourselves.”  
“What happened?? We heard about a heist gone wrong and then you guys just dropped off the map?”  
“You want the long or the short version?” Jerome gave Ace a cheeky grin.  
“Well it’s not like I’m going anywhere any time soon…” The two shared a laugh and Ace smiled back.  
“Touché kid, long version it is then.” And so, while they waited for the Doc to arrive, Ace told Jerome about the heist. All their plans, all the preparation, everything that led up to that fateful moment when their pink-haired leader betrayed them. Jerome looked horrified but awestruck as well.  
“What happened afterwards?”  
“Turns out we had another rat inside the crew and we got jumped by some rival gangs. After that, we all went our separate ways. I used to hear from King for a while but I haven’t heard from Ally in ages.”  
“Wait, you're not her?!”  
“If I was, your torture session would’ve lasted much longer yesterday.”  
“So then who… oh fuck.”  
“Figured it out, huh?”  
“YOU’RE WENDINO?!” Ace gave a dramatic bow.  
“The one and only!”  
“But all the stories about them-”  
“Exaggerated for effect. Well, most of them anyways. The more violent and brutal ones were more for maintaining the image as the wildcard.”  
“What about the stories with the crazy plane stunts?”  
“Those are actually true, and I still practice those stunts every so often so I don't get rusty. Never know when you’re gonna need to dodge some asshole with homing rockets!”  
“Holy shit… You were my brother’s idol, he’d be so jealous!”  
“He’d be jealous he got potentially paralyzed?”  
“Wait what?” Ace winced and Jerome took a moment to process their words.  
“You mean…”  
“I didn't hit anything vital, but i got a solid hit on your spine… we’ll see what the Doc has to say but there's a good chance you won't be walking again.” That put a damper on the mood in the room. Jerome seemed frozen and Ace just looked apologetic.  
“Need a moment to yourself, kid?”  
“Y-yea… I think…”  
“Say no more, I’m gone. I’ll be in the next room, if you need anything just shout.” They laid a comforting hand on his shoulder before standing and walking out, closing the curtain behind them.

Ace left Jerome to his thoughts, grabbing their phone and heading back out to the main floor of the club. Twelve missed calls in ten minutes, all from the same number, glared up at the club owner as they groaned and redialed.  
“About time you answered my call! What the hell have you been doing?!”  
“Relax, I was just cleaning up the club before opening. What do you want?”  
“Doc came by earlier with some blood and prints, spouting off about ‘idiots fought the demon and lost’ as an explanation like that tells me shit! Then he tells me he’s treating some punk kid and needs me to pull him up in the system cuz he had no ID as if I can just randomly search up anyone whenever I’m asked-”  
“I mean you can-”  
“Shut up that's not the point! I don’t even remember the point anymore! Fuck you where was I going with this?”  
“To answer you: my club got shot up, I didn’t start it. Some wannabe gang threatening trouble if I didn't pay them for protection, blah blah blah same old boring story. Nothing too exciting.”  
“So why’d Doc mention the punk? I didn’t think you had the stomach for torture.”  
“I don’t, but I need answers and he’s all I got. The rest of the trash got taken out yesterday and it didn’t have anything worth noting.”  
“Yea well, try to keep your head down a bit. Someone reported shouts and gunshots yesterday and they're sending someone over to check it out.”  
“You didn't think to start with that, jackass?!”  
“Fuck you I tried warning you hours ago!”  
“YOU CALLED ME TEN MINUTES AGO JESSIE!!” At that moment, one of the door guards radioed in about some cops with questions and Ace swore loudly.  
“I’m kicking you ass the next time you're here,” Ace snapped before hanging up the phone. They radioed back to the guard to let the cops in and bring them upstairs. They took a deep breath and pulled on their best ‘innocent club owner with nothing to hide’ expression just in time for the guard and two officers to come into view.  
“Good afternoon officers! I’m Ace, the owner or the club. What can I do for you?”  
“I’m Officer Monroe, thats Officer Mcquinn. We’re sorry to trouble you but we had reports of gunshots in the area around 3pm yesterday. We were hoping you could fill us in on what happened.” Ace played their part well, looking surprised at the mention of gunshots.  
“Oh shit, you're kidding?! I just thought it was some of the neighborhood brats playing with fireworks or something! Was anyone hurt?” Hook, line, and sinker. 

The cops bought the act, not that it was hard to fool the LSPD, and after a few more questions left the club thinking they’d been sent on a wild goose chase. Ace let out a sigh of relief as soon as they did. That’d been too close for comfort. A glass shattering in the next room made that relief short lived, and Ace burst through into the VIP lounge with a switchblade at the ready.  
“Easy! Easy! Easy! It’s just me!” Doc practically screeched. Ace scowled and stored the knife back into their pocket.  
“Doc what the hell?! That glass is going on your tab, you know.”  
“Yea yea, not my fault the kid can barely use his arms.”  
“Whatever… how's he doing? You find anything out?” Doc smiled and slid a folder over to Ace. The name ‘Jerome Taige’ jumped out first and the club owner raced to open it.  
“Turns out our little friend is in luck, this can be fixed with a little surgery and some physical therapy. Jesse sends her regards with that folder by the way.”  
“This kid’s got a practically spotless record, what the hell is he doing running with those losers?!”  
“Didn’t think you liked kids?” It was an honest question instead of a jab, and Ace hesitated.  
“... He reminds you if someone else, huh? Similar situation I take it?”  
“You could say that, yea…” Ace kept staring at the photo of Jerome surrounded by people, all of them smiling as he held up a diploma. He was only 18 years old… two years younger than Ace was when Radio had dragged them into the crew. They flinched at the hand their shoulder, looking up to see Doc giving them a sympathetic look. Ace looked away and straightened themselves.  
“So… how much do I owe you?”  
“Consider this a freebie as a one time courtesy, but keep this between us. Can’t let my clients know I’m playing favorites after all!” Ace snorted and nodded.  
“Now I do believe our young friend is ready to talk, so I won’t keep you any longer.”  
“Thanks again Doc.”  
“Remember, this is our little secret!”

Ace knocked on the wall a couple times before sliding back the curtain of Jerome’s DIY hospital bed.  
“Doc says you wanted to chat for a bit?”  
“Sorta… can I ask you something first?” Ace nodded, but then was hit with an idea.  
“How about 20 questions, you start and we go back and forth. Sound fair?”  
“Sure, I can work with that.”  
“Cool, start us off then,” Ace gestured for him to continue.  
“Why are you doing this? Helping me I mean…” ace tilted their head in confusion.  
“Even as Wendino, we have some standards. I don’t kill kids and if I can help someone I will. Normally we don’t attack runners either but we’re out of practice on that one.”  
“Fair enough I guess…”  
“My turn then, why’d you join a gang?”  
“I… I didn’t mean to honestly… I was at a house party one night after graduation and struck up a conversation with some guys there. We had a couple drinks and had a blast, they offered me a lift home and I took it. Next thing I know, they’re robbing a convenience store with me in the passenger seat. After that when I tried to leave, they threatened me… held a gun to my head and told me I was one of them now…”  
“Shit…” was all Ace could say. Jerome just shrugged like it was nothing.  
“That was six months ago, and I’m in too deep to get out now so…”  
“Like hell! We’ll see about that once shit settles down.” Jerome raised an eyebrow but continued.  
“Back to me then… why do you say ‘we’ when you talk about yourself?”  
“‘Wendino’ used to just be a persona, another mask to wear during heists so I didn’t have to face what I’d done. After a couple months shit kinda hit the fan… I got captured by a rival gang at one point and the torture about broke me mentally. After that, Wendino became something else… it wasn’t just a mask anymore they were an entity, someone I shared a space with instead of a persona to scare enemies. I was Wendino and Wendino was me but now we are they and they is me.”  
“Huh?”  
“I ramble sometimes, its a side effect of the torture. Another way to say it is that I suffer from dissociative identity disorder.”  
“Oh…”  
“I said the same thing when Doc explained it to me. It’s a fuckin’ shit show.”  
“Thats… yikes… are you okay?”  
“Ah ah its my turn for a question, kid,” Ace joked, waving off Jerome’s concern.  
“Lets see… I’m trying not to go straight into interrogation mode and get to know you more but I’m not the most social if you’ve noticed.”  
“Ask your questions bridgekeeper, I am not afraid.”  
“Ooh Monty Python, nice one! What can you tell me about the Vipers’ leader?”  
“Theres two in charge. The one you met was Pete and hes a jackass. He’s the face of the gamh, but the real head honcho is his sister Karen.”  
“I always knew Karens were evil,” Ace snarked quietly, earning a laugh from Jerome.  
“You can say that again… She's a bitch and she knows it, walks around the base like we should kiss the ground she walks on. Best way to put it: she’s the brain, he’s the brawn. Most people in the gang are sick of them and would leave if they had a choice but the last guy that tried got tied to a bike and dragged around the Grand Senora desert until he looked like a bloody piñata.”  
“Descriptive, Ally did something similar to a guy who groped her once. It was nasty.”  
“We had nightmares for weeks when they brought back his remains…” Jerome shuddered as best he could while incapacitated.   
“I can imagine… your turn.”  
“Uh… hm…”  
“You get to talk to one of the most wanted criminals in Los Santos and you’ve got nothing to ask? You can ask anything you want!”  
“I'm thinking! I'm thinking!” Ace laughed and shook their head.  
“Oh, I know! What were your old crewmates like? I mean like in real life, not what the media sold.”  
“Prior to Radio’s betrayal, the four of us were thick as thieves! King was the resident car guy, Radio ran a radio show, and Ally was a dominatrix on the side,” Ace said with a smile, getting a far off look in their eyes as they remembered the good times.  
“We used to get into so much trouble, Radio less so than me, Ally, and King but we had our moments. King used to participate in races around LS and Ally’d stack the betting in our favor. We’d plan small heists for some side cash but we’d pick a theme and dress up in silly costumes. Oh! King had a bunker big enough that you needed carts to get around, so we’d race those and cause havoc. Radio and I used to just fly around LS when Ally and King got wasted cuz we didn’t want to deal with the weird tension there. One time we bought out an entire theatre and just marathoned ever movie out at the time, no matter how bad.”  
“Sounds like you guys were close,” Jerome said, clearly enjoying the stories. Ace laughed bitterly.  
“Not as close as we thought in the end… The pink haired bastard left us for dead and then Ally sold us out… it was a shit show in the end, but we had some good times nonetheless.”

They went back and forth like that for hours; Ace asking about Jerome’s family and occasionally about the Vipers, Jerome asking about Ace’s time with the crew and their life before. It was pleasant, having someone to talk to that understood, Ace thought to themselves. Eventually though, Jerome started getting tired due to his meds kicking in, so Ace left him to rest and walked back to the upper floor bar. The silence, usually so welcoming, was practically deafening for once. The club was closed for the day so that the walls could be properly repaired and the place deep cleaned of any remaining blood, so Ace was left to their thoughts. And boy were those thoughts annoying.  
‘We could fix this,’ Wendino said. Ace knew what fixing meant here. It meant confronting the remaining Vipers.  
‘We don’t have a crew, we don’t have any back up’ Ace shot back.  
‘We didn't need a crew the other day. We cut them down with nothing more than a couple knives. We don't need a crew, we don't need them,” Wendino hissed back. Ace sighed and shook their head.  
‘We could help him, he could be free.’  
‘We swore off crime!’  
‘It's only a crime if you're caught! We never got caught, we’re still here.’  
“That's not how that works,” Ace accidentally snarled out loud, slamming their hands against the counter. Luckily, no one was there to witness the outburst for once. Ace took a deep breath and then sighed again, an action that seemed too common lately.  
‘... We do this one job and then we’re done for good. No more after this.’ Ace swore they could hear Wendino cheering as they stood up and snuck past Jerome’s cot towards the club’s closet. Sliding on the familiar black combat boots in place of the usual converse, and the oversized zipper hoodie over a tactical vest, Ace could practically feel Wendino’s anticipation buzzing along their skin.   
‘We’re missing something…’  
‘Not another paper bag mask, it's too recognizable’ Wendino replied quickly. Something shoved into the back corner of the closet caught their eye and Ace reached down to grab it, pulling out a creepy looking mask that they’d bought while watching some arena wars at the stadium.  
‘Its… perfect.’ For once, Ace and Wendino agreed. Sliding on the mask was easy, but the sense of security that came from wearing it was something neither of them had realized they were missing. It was the feeling of coming home, of safety. It was heavenly, and both revelled in it.  
‘Clocks ticking, the night won't wait for us,’ Wendino said, pushing Ace to the back of their mind.

The familiar feeling of danger and bloodlust were long lost friends as Wendino sped closer to the Viper hideout, a green blur as they weaved their shotaro in and out of traffic. To their delight, there wasn’t a guard watching the door as they skidded to a stop and parked the bike nearby. Popping their jacket collar and quickly assessing the guns on their person, Wendino kicked open the door with all their strength. Things kicked off quickly after that, with Wendino popping three bullets in one of the poor bastards nearest them and grabbing the other as a meat shield as the rest of the gang scrambled to process what just happened.  
“Knock knock~! I’m looking for Petey-boy and Bitch Karen!” Wendino sing-songed, spooking a good handful of the Viper gang’s lackies.  
“Who the fuck are you,” said lacky number 1. Wendino smirked under their mask and let out a giggle.  
“What’s so funny, freak? You think you can just come in here and attack us?!”  
“Oh I don’t just think I can, in fact I just did exactly that!” Wendino said through their giggles. The lacky/meat shield looked on the verge of either pissing himself or breaking down into tears as Ace kept their gun tucked under his chin.  
“But let me assure you, you don’t all have to end up like your friend by the door! I just want your bosses after all~” Some of the more nervous ones looked like they'd just struck gold, which meant that Jerome’s info was right about the gang not being all that loyal. Lacky 1 however didn’t seem to get the hint, much to the annoyance of the masked intruder.  
“What's one little bitch gonna do? You're outnumb-” A gunshot cut him off and he collapsed in a heap sporting a brand new bullet hole between his eyes. Wendino giggled again.  
“Whoopsie~! My finger slipped! Now,” they’re voice went cold, “anyone else wanna play the hero?” They were met with silence, excluding the whimpers from their meat shield.  
“Good. Now I suggest you all get out of here, and by ‘here’ I mean get out of Vespucci, hell get out of Los Santos even! If I even see a single atom of your pathetic asses I will not hesitate to turn you into a flesh couch.” No one moved and Wendino snarled.  
“I said SCRAM!” Everyone bolted for the exit, leaving Wendino and the snivelling lacky who had most definitely soiled himself. Letting go of the back of his neck, Wendino patted him on the head and shooed the boy off, and boy did he run. Reloading the pistol, Wendino stepped further into the dimly lit building.  
‘Ugh, didn't anyone pay the electric bill around here,’ they thought to themselves. They could practically hear Ace nitpicking and dragging the shitty state of the so called hideout as they continued further in, quiet as a mouse and checking every room. Wendino pocketed some trinkets and left out cash here and there as they approached the last room in the building, the sound of loud music playing practically drowning out everything else.  
‘No wonder they didn’t hear the commotion… it feels too easy.’ They decided to wait it out and see. 

Their intuition turned out to be right as the music volume lowered after waiting for ten minutes.  
“Ugh this shit is giving me a headache,” a male voice, easily recognizable as Pete, aka the bastard who shot up their club, complained. A female voice, or maybe it was a dying cat screech Wendino wasn’t too sure, was quick to snap at him.  
“Shut up idiot! Who ever it was had to have heard that, so where are they?!”  
“How the hell should I know?”  
“Well go fucking look for them! Some muscle you are.”  
“Shut up shit for brains I’m going! Fucking hell…” The door flew open, slamming into the wall from the force of Pete stomping out of the room. Wendino heard him grumbling to himself as he walked right past their hiding place. He went around the corner and after a moment, Wendino chose to approach the room where the sister was hiding.  
‘He’ll be easy pickings, plus I love a good game of manhunt!’ Wendino quietly entered the room, shocked to see Karen hadn’t even been paying attention to the door.   
‘This is too easy, there's no way this isn't a trick,’ Wendino thought as they approached quietly behind the oblivious blonde. Somehow it wasn’t a trick and Karen went down easy: a quick bullet through the back of her skull and she dropped like a sack of bricks.  
‘Thank fuck for silencers… now lets have some fun~’

Pete was getting more and more annoyed when he didn’t find any intruders anywhere.  
“This is such bullshit! Come out already you fucks!!” He was met with silence. With an annoyed shout he threw a nearby beer bottle against a wall and shattered it.  
“Well that was a shitty throw.” Pete whirled around and fired his gun, only to find no one around him.  
“Who’s there? Stop fucking with me and come out already!”  
“Petey-boi~ that's not how the game is played~” He whirled around again, and once again was met with no one. As if on queue, the buildings power flickered and shut off, leaving the place bathed in darkness. Pete barely had time to adjust his eyes before something hard caught him in the nose. He stumbled back with a loud yell, cursing up a storm as he gingerly held his broken nose.  
“What the hell is going on?!”  
“I promised two bones for every bullet in my walls~” The voice came from right over his shoulder, so he turned and swung at the source… only to shatter his knuckles against the hard concrete of a support pillar. Pete screamed in pain again as laughter surrounded him.  
“Missed me~! Missed me~!” He didn’t even get a chance to recover this time as something hard and metallic caught him in the shin. He dropped to the ground, tears forming in his eyes and adrenaline the only thing keeping him from fully feeling the effect of the pain.  
“Its a shame humans only have 206 bones in their bodies…” Another hit, this time to the non broken fingers of his left hand, followed by another to his mouth as soon as he screamed. He spit out teeth and blood as Pete curled into himself in a feeble attempt to protect his injuries.  
“Because there are approximately 672 bullet holes in my nightclub.” The voice was right in front of him now and Pete could clearly see a figure there as they slammed what he guessed was a pipe down on his other leg, this time smashing his knee. Spots danced in his vision as he started to black out from pain.  
“Wh-what are y-you…” he choked out as the world began to fade. A face appeared next to his, sporting a mask that would make even the most fearsome criminals cower.  
“They called me… Wendino.” The last thing Pete heard before the world went dark for good was the sound of a gun firing.

Jerome woke up the next morning to see Doc pacing next to the makeshift cot.  
“Sup Doc,” came his tired joke. Doc huffed a laugh but kept pacing.  
“Gee like I haven't heard that one before…”  
“What's got you all worked up?” Doc paused in his pacing and turned toward Jerome.  
“Did Ace ask you anything about that gang of yours?”  
“A couple things yea, like who ran it and where we typically crashed… why?”  
“That's what I was afraid of… I know they told you of their condition yes?”  
“The personality thing yea.. Doc what's going on, you're starting to freak me out,” Jerome said, wondering what the hell was going on. Doc ran a hand through his hair and sighed.  
“... There was a police call to an abandoned motorcycle club last night… four people found dead, all with bullets from the same gun, along with a few other… gruesome details…”  
“I don’t understand- oh… oh my god… you don’t think-”  
“I do indeed… It seems Wendino-”  
“Did what needed to be done, dear doctor!” Jerome and Doc both flinched as Ace- no, Wendino’s cheerful voice rang through the room.  
“Don’t worry, I made sure most of their deaths were quick!”  
“M-most…” Wendino flashed Jerome a grin and he felt his flight response kick into high gear.  
“I had a little fun playing with Pete! He owed me after he barged in and shot up my club anyways~” Doc cleared his throat and Wendino tilted their head towards him.  
“You're scaring the boy.” They widened their eyes at that and clenched their jaw.  
“If this side of you is out that means-”  
“No I didn't run out of the damn meds Doc,” Wendino hissed.  
“But you haven’t been taking them either, have you,” Doc shot back. Wendino just glared and turned to leave the room.  
“W-wait! Where are you-” Jerome started to ask, but Doc shook his head.  
“They need to blow off some steam and you need to rest. You have surgery tomorrow morning and I don't want you straining yourself.”  
“But-”  
“Ace will be fine. They just need a moment to remember who they are.”

Ace returned a couple hours later to find Doc and Jerome out cold on their respective couches. They walked quietly past to the wall safe, pulling out a small pill bottle and taking two before putting it back. They ran a hand through their hair and sighed, before going over to finish some club work on the nearby desk. They were gently shaken awake a fee hours later by one concerned looking Doc.  
“Doc…? Wha..?”  
“The boy is in surgery right now, delivered him to the hospital myself. He’ll likely never walk again but otherwise he’ll make a full recovery… He’s promised not to say anything about this incident except for what he knew about the Viper gang.”  
“I’ll take your word for it,” Ace said with a yawn. They sat up and stretched, joints popping left and right from falling asleep in a shitty position.   
“So about last night-” Ace held up a hand to cut Doc off.  
“The past couple days have been stressful, hence my slip. No it’s not a common occurrence, and no I'm not going back to that life if I can help it.”  
“You may not have a choice my friend… May I offer you some advice?”  
“You'll give it anyways so shoot.”  
“Look into getting some friends to watch your back… With the Vipers gone this area just became prime real estate once word gets out, and you know word always gets out.” Ace just gave a thoughtful hum in acknowledgement before yawning again.  
“I’ll leave you to your rest now… May you not need my services again any time soon.”  
“I’ll wire you the funds once you send me the bill,” came Ace’s tired reply as they moved over to the couch across from the bar and flopped onto it. Ace was out cold before Doc had even shit the door.

The idea of starting a crew lingered in Ace’s mind months after Doc’s departure. It would be good to have that safety again, but neither Ace nor Wendino were ready to have that level of trust with anyone any time soon. Not after what happened with Radio and Ally… A knock on the door to the nightclub office had Ace reaching for the pistol hidden in the desk drawer. The club was closed today and all the staff had been trained to knock in a specific pattern so as to avoid impalement, and this knock was definitely not the same. Making sure to step quietly, Ace made their way to the door, gun at the ready as they leaned against the wall beside the door.  
“I dunno who you are but you picked a shit time to break in.”  
“Easy there Wendino, I just came to talk!” The voice was familiar which threw Ace for a loop, coupled with the fact the stranger knew who they were just sent their confusion skyrocketing.  
“King?! Dude is that you?”  
“So you do remember me!” Ace snorted and opened the door, gun still ready just in case.  
“Well I’ll be damned, how ya been stranger? What brings you back to Los Santos?” Ace stepped to the side to let their old friend and crewmate into the office.  
“A job if you’ll believe it. I was in the neighborhood for a race and got called about some casino that was actually begging to be robbed.” Ace had a feeling they knew where this was going.  
“Oh yea? Sounds like a pretty big catch,” they said, half hoping King would get to the point and half dreading it at the same time.   
“Mmmhm! Apparently it’s straight from the casino owners sister and she even had Lester fumbling.”  
“Cut him some slack, he’s old and went into retirement a while ago.”  
“Fair enough. So what do you say, Ace? Wanna ride with me for old times sake?”  
“I’d love to fam, but my answer is gonna be a hard no.” King seemed a little shocked.  
“Oh??”  
“Mmhm! I've got a good thing going here and I’ve been crime free since the split. Why would I want to risk my life and identity for some petty family feud?”  
“That's fair… except you haven't been entirely crime free have you?” Ace narrowed their eyes dangerously, and Wendino rolled their shoulders as they straightened in their seat.  
“What are you implying something, Adam?”  
“Well it's been rumored that this side of town is completely gang free despite being a hot spot for potential activity. Its also rumored that any potential gangs that try to set up shop here end up brutally murdered…”  
“And what does that have to do with me, exactly?”  
“I ran with you for good while Ace, I recognize your handiwork better than most.” Wendino glared at King, the tension in the room palpable.  
“Are you blackmailing me?” King raised his hands in mock surrender.  
“Not at all! Just wanted to see about one last run for old time sakes.” The two watched each other carefully, distrust from time spent apart and previous betrayals warring with past friendships and proven loyalties.  
“... I’ll think about it…” Wendino eventually relented. King nodded.  
“That's all I ask. I imagine you know how to find me once you have an answer?”  
“I have my ways.”  
“I’ll get out of your hair then… be seeing you Ace.”  
“Later King.”


End file.
